Two hours after the event started.
Yoo Ara and I were walking through the forest inside the “Ghost Island.”
Nothing particularly dangerous had occurred.
Every monster we encountered was easily taken down by either me or Yoo Ara, and we had already collected 55 magic stones.
Considering only two hours had passed, it was an unbelievably fast pace.
The reason we were able to collect them so quickly was, of course, because I knew where the monsters were densely packed thanks to my pre-regression experience.
At this rate, we were probably overwhelmingly in first place.
“Kim Sunwoo.”
“What?”
“…Have you been here before?”
Yoo Ara asked, squinting at me.
“Does it look like I have?”
“Then how do you know the way so well?”
“Monster fields are all more or less the same.”
At my half-hearted reply, Yoo Ara gave me a suspicious look. Then she let out a deep sigh.
“Yeah. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened.”
She muttered quietly.
“By the way, it’s starting to feel kind of eerie.”
Yoo Ara looked around.
As we ventured deeper into the center of the forest, the island began to live up to its name—the “Ghost Island.” The atmosphere grew more and more unsettling.
Due to the magical disaster, the sky had darkened, and the surrounding trees looked withered and bare.
The plants nearby appeared dead, making the island itself feel devoid of life.
“Feels like ghosts could pop out at any moment, huh?”
“Yeah. I can see why it’s called the Ghost Island.”
At her comment, I let out a soft chuckle.
“It’s not just because of the atmosphere. Real ghosts actually show up here.”
“…I told you, it’s illusion magic. There’s no such thing as ghosts.”
Yoo Ara glared at me, as if to say “don’t joke.”
“Well, you’re not wrong. But it’s a bit different from normal illusion magic.”
“You’re talking like you really know a lot. You have been here before, haven’t you? Maybe last year?”
“What are you going on about? This event only happens every three years.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Instead of replying, I just shrugged.
It was about time.
To prepare for what’s about to happen, I needed to find Lee Seo-jun’s group and join them.
According to the original story, he should be able to handle things on his own. But from my point of view, I couldn’t help but worry—just in case.
I turned on my smart student notebook and checked the map of the Ghost Island.
If this is my location, then heading further north should do it.
“Let’s go a bit deeper. Stronger monsters are probably that way.”
It was an excuse to run into Lee Seo-jun’s group, but Yoo Ara nodded without much thought.
We continued moving forward, hunting monsters as we went.
Surprisingly, Yoo Ara and I worked well together.
I fought up close while she provided support from the rear.
Well, I was really adjusting to her style more than anything, but still, we made a good duo.
…Another hour passed just like that.
We arrived at the central part of the forest.
This was the location where the “Ghost Island” episode officially begins.
Ssshh…
A chilly breeze rustled the nearby leaves. The cold wind made my skin tingle with goosebumps.
—Wow. This place is creepy.
—Hey hey. Be careful.
Suddenly, voices came from somewhere.
A man and a woman.
They were clear, right by our ears.
Yoo Ara and I stopped walking immediately and scanned our surroundings.
“…Did you hear that just now?”
Yoo Ara asked, her face unusually serious.
“Yeah. I heard it.”
“Is someone here? I don’t sense anyone nearby.”
…Shwip!
Just then, a sound shot out from around 100 meters away, near a tree.
We quickly turned our attention in that direction.
Something had just dashed past between the trees.
It moved too quickly for us to make out its form. But one thing was certain—it looked human.
Yoo Ara’s expression grew tense.
“Someone’s here.”
Then the voices came again.
—What the heck? There’s really something here.
—Hey. I’m scared.
It seemed like the owners of those voices were also unsure about what was happening.
Yoo Ara, her expression tense, summoned a small fireball above her hand.
She must have instinctively realized—whoever those voices belonged to, they weren’t ordinary humans.
I reached out and gently grabbed her wrist. She flinched and looked at me.
“Relax. It’s nothing serious.”
“…Then what were those voices? Something’s not right.”
As I opened my mouth to answer, two people appeared before us.
Two semi-transparent figures.
A handsome man and a woman, walking side by side.
They looked around nervously, as if they were scared out of their wits.
One thing that stood out—they were wearing the same Mage Academy uniforms as us.
—What do we do?
—Let’s get out of here. Something’s off.
—What about the others? Aren’t they supposed to be here too? Yoon-kyung was going to come. We were supposed to meet here.
They kept talking, unaware of our presence, walking right in front of us.
And then, about three seconds later…
They vanished into thin air like dust.
I glanced at Yoo Ara. Just as I expected, her eyes were wide in shock.
Then she spoke.
“…Dad?”
Meanwhile, Lee Seo-jun and Lee Hyun-joo were also walking through the central part of the Ghost Island, experiencing the same situation as Kim Sunwoo.
“That was definitely a ghost, right?”
“…Yeah. It was a ghost.”
“Wow. So this place really does have ghosts.”
“It’s probably a type of illusion magic. Maybe.”
Lee Seo-jun recalled the “Fog Island” incident from summer vacation.
“Ugh. Gives me chills.”
Lee Hyun-joo rubbed her arms.
“But didn’t those ghosts just now wear our school uniforms?”
“Yeah. I saw it too.”
“But the design was a bit different. Kinda outdated, maybe?”
“Yeah, felt kinda old-school.”
As they continued walking, the bushes and leaves rustled again from afar.
Ssshh…
Lee Seo-jun and Lee Hyun-joo stopped in their tracks.
They swallowed nervously, tense expressions on their faces, wondering if another ghost was about to appear.
They also began gathering mana in case it was a surprise monster attack.
But from the bushes, someone unexpected appeared.
“Seo-jun sunbae?”
It was Choi Seo-yoon, walking confidently. Beside her, Song Seung-ah clung close with a frightened expression.
Relieved, Lee Seo-jun dropped his guard.
“Oh, it’s you, Seo-yoon.”
“Wow, what are the odds we’d run into each other here.”
Choi Seo-yoon greeted him cheerfully. Next to her, Song Seung-ah’s face brightened with relief at seeing someone familiar.
Then, Choi Seo-yoon cautiously asked,
“Did you see them too, sunbae?”
“You’re talking about the ghost, right? Yeah, I saw it too.”
“Thought so. We saw it as well. I didn’t think there’d actually be real ghosts, though.”
“Right? By any chance, were the ghosts you saw also wearing school uniforms?”
“Huh? Yeah. They were in uniform. You too, sunbae?”
“Yeah. The ghosts I saw were all in uniform.”
“Uniforms, huh… But I didn’t recognize any of their faces.”
Lee Seo-jun nodded in agreement. The ghosts he saw were also wearing the same uniforms, but most of them were unfamiliar faces.
“Oh, by the way, did you guys take down any monsters?”
“No, not really. We’ve only gathered twelve magic stones so far. What about you, sunbae?”
“We’ve got twenty-two.”
“Wow, that’s a lot! Almost double ours. I’m jealous.”
Lee Seo-jun shrugged and smiled.
“It’s not that much. We didn’t actually run into that many monsters either.”
“Oh come on, with that many, you’re definitely in the top three!”
“You think so?”
“Of course~”
Then Choi Seo-yoon continued speaking.
“Ah! Well, we should get going now. We still need more magic stones, so we’ve got to hustle. Good luck, sunbae…”
“Huh? What?! We’re parting already?!”
At that moment, Song Seung-ah cut her off and shouted. Choi Seo-yoon narrowed her eyes at her.
“Of course we are. We’ve barely gathered any magic stones.”
“No! I don’t want to go. It’s scary, okay? You dragged me here even though I didn’t want to come!”
Song Seung-ah yelled in frustration. Choi Seo-yoon stayed silent, not offering a reply.
Watching the exchange, Lee Seo-jun chuckled.
“Then want to come with us for a bit?”
“Really? That’s okay?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind. You’re fine with it too, right?”
He turned to ask Lee Hyun-joo. She stared at Choi Seo-yoon’s face for a moment, then nodded.
“Sure, I don’t mind.”
Once they were allowed to join, Song Seung-ah’s face lit up.
“Hehe, I’ll be super quiet and not get in the way!”
With that unexpected addition to their group, the four of them resumed walking through the forest.
Lee Seo-jun took the lead, followed by Song Seung-ah, and behind her, Choi Seo-yoon and Lee Hyun-joo walked side by side.
Lee Hyun-joo glanced at Lee Seo-jun and Song Seung-ah ahead, then quietly spoke to Choi Seo-yoon.
“…You haven’t been chasing after Seo-jun lately.”
“Huh?”
She looked at Hyun-joo, confused by the sudden comment.
“You used to always follow him around.”
“…I didn’t.”
“Don’t lie. Did you fall for someone else or what?”
Hyun-joo nudged her in the side with her elbow. Choi Seo-yoon pressed her lips together and didn’t respond.
Soon, they arrived at a new area in the forest.
An open plain with a massive boulder, a place that looked like an ancient ruin.
And on top of that boulder sat a familiar pair.
Choi Seo-yoon’s heart skipped a beat when she saw them.
“Oh. That’s Kim Sunwoo and Yoo Ara.”
Lee Seo-jun spoke in a cheerful tone.
“You’re here.”
Kim Sunwoo spoke like he had been waiting all along.
“What do you mean, ‘you’re here’? You make it sound like we planned to meet here.”
Lee Seo-jun joked, and Kim Sunwoo smiled.
“But did you two have a fight or something? Why does her face look so serious?”
He asked while looking at Yoo Ara. Choi Seo-yoon turned to her, curious if they really had fought—her expression was indeed grim.
“You don’t need to know.”
“…Fair enough.”
At that moment, Kim Sunwoo’s gaze landed on Choi Seo-yoon.
“You’re here too, Seo-yoon. Are you tagging along?”
Hearing her name, Choi Seo-yoon quickly replied.
“Oh, we just ran into each other. We were going to separate to hunt monsters, but Seung-ah kept saying it was too scary and insisted we stay together…”
“…Didn’t ask for that much detail.”
“Oh.”
Choi Seo-yoon laughed awkwardly.
Kim Sunwoo looked at her for a moment…lost in thought.
Choi Seo-yoon felt tense. Lately, even these small moments made her overthink.
The one who broke the awkward atmosphere was Lee Seo-jun.
“Did you guys see the ghosts too?”
“Of course. They keep showing up even now.”
Lee Seo-jun nodded.
It was clear the closer they got to the center of the forest, the more frequently ghosts appeared.
“But what do you think those ghosts really are?”
Choi Seo-yoon asked Kim Sunwoo. He paused in thought for a moment before answering.
“It’s related to time. It’s a kind of magical disaster—this island probably has a tendency to store a certain amount of emotion and mana.”
“Emotion and mana?”
“Yeah. Using those, it re-creates illusions of the past. So the ghosts we’re seeing are actually people from the past. Likely from about twenty or thirty years ago.”
As Kim Sunwoo spoke with confidence, everyone nodded.
If it was anyone else, they might have doubted it—but coming from him, it was believable.
“And I’d bet that today was the same day the Taehwi Festival was held by the Academy, just like now.”
“Oh, so that’s why all the ghosts we’ve seen were wearing uniforms. Their fear must’ve been deeply ingrained emotions. Right?”
“Yeah, exactly. You’re quick on the uptake.”
At Kim Sunwoo’s compliment, Choi Seo-yoon smiled slightly.
“Then maybe someday, we’ll become the ghosts of this island too, like twenty or thirty years from now.”
“That’s wild. Sunbae, how do you even know stuff like this?”
“If you study hard enough to be top in theory class, you learn a few things.”
“…But I’m ranked top in theory too. What are you even studying?”
Just then—
―You’re here?
―Yeah. Hurry up, Yoon-kyung.
Voices echoed from somewhere again. Everyone jumped and looked around.
A moment later, a translucent woman appeared.
Long, flowing black hair.
A hauntingly beautiful face.
―Where are the others?
―The other two should be on their way.
―Really?
“That woman…”
Lee Hyun-joo’s expression stiffened. She turned to glance at Lee Seo-jun’s face. He too was staring at the woman, frozen.
―So why are we meeting here again? Feels stuffy.
―Said they were trying to find traces of the Immortality Spell? Honestly, those two are hopeless. Especially Choi Ilhyeon.
Lee Seo-jun felt it instinctively. He knew who that woman was. And what she meant to him.
―Yoon-kyung. Were you waiting?
―Why did you take so long?
Time passed.
The woman disappeared like dust, leaving only the living behind.
But everyone was still deep in thought, her face etched in their minds.
That face… looked an awful lot like Lee Seo-jun.
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